ABSTRACT
Over the years, the regulatory and legislative procedures by which governments and industries ensure that products meet the needs of citizens, health and safety included, have changed and evolved. After the industrial revolution at the early stages of the twentieth century, the first synthetic plastic materials went into the material markets almost at the same time as standardization emerged as a key activity in the expansion of transnational commercial activities. From the last quarter of the same century, and because of the strongly changing industrial and social environments, standardization as well legislative activities became more rigorous. The aim of the present chapter is to give an overview of the plastic material industry and how the overall environmental issues affect the regulatory, standardization, and legislative activities. A few examples dealing specifically with organic plastic materials are given. A number of references and electronic addresses of the main organizations responsible for regulatory, standardization, and legislative activities are provided.
